Response to the Civil Society Covenant Framework from Creative Lives
December 2024
About Creative Lives
Established in 1991, Creative Lives has a 33-year track record of celebrating, supporting and promoting everyday creativity across the UK and Ireland, significantly impacting the academic, political, social and cultural landscape through its campaigning, lobbying, research and creative projects. We champion community and volunteer-led creative activity, and work to improve opportunities for everyone to be creative.
Creative Lives welcomes the draft Civil Society Covenant and its framework of principles as a step towards fostering stronger relationships between civil society and government. As a registered charity established in 1991, we champion community and volunteer-led creative activity, focusing on local, not-for-profit, and volunteer-led creative groups whose activities are shaped and directed by the people who take part in them.
Against a backdrop of long-term austerity policies, it has become increasingly difficult for public bodies to support creativity in our communities. Yet we have seen, through our work, the transformative power of creativity to reanimate communities, strengthen social bonds, and enable people to see themselves as valued contributors to civic partnerships and local development.
The four principles of the Covenant resonate deeply with our val mission:
Recognition: Local creative groups can be found in almost eve They are part of the fabric of civil society and involve both th population and people from almost every diverse community. place and role in our shared civil lives should be recognised a Everyday creativity offers far-reaching benefits, including alle loneliness, fostering community cohesion, and enhancing men Through this grassroots activity people find joy, inspiration, and a deeper connection to their communities, often contributing to societal challenges in ways that formal institutions cannot.
Partnership: Many local creative groups operate under the radar of public bodies: for partnerships to be successful there must be parity of esteem for smaller hyperlocal groups. The Government should also value the lived experience and expertise of those involved in local creative groups who have extensive shared learning on overcoming policy challenges through local solutions, from reducing isolation to building civic pride.
Participation: Enabling communities to be heard and to shape decisions is central to Creative Lives’ ethos and a rights-based approach. In communities facing particular challenges, such as socio-economic deprivation, discrimination or neglect, the independent, self-sufficient model of local creative groups has always been more difficult to realise, preventing groups from making their potential contribution to the wider community. Part of our mission is to reduce this disconnection and to increase the capacity and resilience of local groups to improve civic participation: boosting community identity and social cohesion. In our response to the Scottish Government’s Democracy Matters review of local governance structures we shared some best practice examples of what can happen when communities are given a voice and agency to make a difference. For example: the Inverclyde Culture Collective has supported the expansion of arts infrastructure in Inverclyde, boosted creative participation, and supported 791 engagement sessions involving 56 community partners.
Transparency: Transparency is essential for building trust and fostering understanding, which has been missing from much of our public discourse in recent years. Clearer and more regular communication about policies, funding, and decision-making processes will help ensure fairness and encourage collaboration. By prioritising openness, governments and public bodies can demonstrate their accountability and inclusivity which will go a long way in strengthening partnerships with civil society.
At Creative Lives, we believe that creativity is not just an isolated pursuit - it is a powerful tool for addressing community needs, a loneliness, improving wellbeing, and strengthening identities. By creativity into local development, we can cultivate inclusive voice communities, and create a fairer, more resilient society.
While the Government's engagement with national bodies like NC is a strong starting point, we strongly encourage you to meet wit sector-specific representative bodies and charities. These organi specialised, frontline knowledge and are uniquely positioned to provide expert advice and support. Creative Lives for example can bring the experience of over 63,000 local creative organisations across the UK to the table.
We would look forward to working with the government and public bodies to ensure the Covenant translates into meaningful action that empowers communities and enables creativity to flourish at every level. We are eager to collaborate with DCMS and partners to ensure the Covenant becomes a catalyst for meaningful, lasting change. By turning its vision into tangible actions. We would welcome the opportunity for ongoing dialogue on how we can help unlock the potential of local creative groups through the Covenant.
Consultation Questions
Do you experience barriers when engaging with public bodies?
Yes.
Volunteer-led creative groups frequently encounter barriers when engaging with public bodies. These challenges include:
Communication obstacles: Smaller groups often lack the resources, capacity or formal structures to navigate complex administrative systems or identify the right contacts within public bodies.
Regulatory barriers: Compliance demands such as GDPR, safeguarding, and health and safety protocols are often disproportionately challenging for volunteer-run organisations with limited capacity.
Funding processes: Small, local groups struggle with overly complex funding applications and criteria that favour larger, more established organisations.
During our work on Creative Health in Norfolk and Suffolk, 90% of local health groups were eager to scale up through partnerships, but the exist funding models disadvantage smaller organisations, hindering their abilit participate as equal partners. The Covenant should aim to ensure that fun partnerships are accessible to grassroots groups, not just larger entities
As an organisation that operates across the UK and Ireland, we would ec calls of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) who dur consultation period have called on the UK government departments and agencies to adopt their Fair Funding policy asks. These include longer-term funding models, processes that are accessible and consistent, more unrestricted funding, and inflationary uplifts.
Lack of recognition: Volunteer-led groups often feel undervalued or excluded from strategic decision-making processes, limiting their ability to influence local policies.
What supports an effective relationship between civil society organisations and public bodies?
Key enablers of effective relationships include:
Clear and open communication channels: Regular forums or designated liaison officers could ensure better alignment and understanding between civil society organisations and public bodies. Creative Lives’ place-based development work has demonstrated the value of creating direct lines of communication with councils and local agencies.
Creative Lives’ partnership with Reading Borough Council showcases the transformative power of improved communication channels in aligning civil society organisations with local public bodies. Through funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Creative Lives worked with Reading Borough Council to award grants to grassroots groups in Whitley and Church Wards, facilitating creative activities and fostering collaborations. The initiatives have delivered impactful, community-focused projects and have strengthening connections between the local council and civil society groups. The key to its success was building from the community assets already there.
Recognition of local expertise/lived experience: Public bodies should actively engage civil society organisations as equal partners, valuing their grassroots knowledge and community connections.
Simplified processes: Streamlined funding applications, reduced regulatory burdens, and accessible compliance tools are essential for volunteer-led groups.
Since 2023, Creative Lives has been one of the government's trusted par the managing the DCMS sponsored ‘Know Your Neighbourhood’ fund. We distributing 16 partnership awards and 44 project awards throughout the year programme, totalling nearly £750,000 of new investment in everyda creativity.
We believe this programme is demonstrating the success of a simplified streamlined funding process in enabling small, volunteer-led creative gr access government investment that would typically be out of reach. We seen various examples of empowered grassroots organisations contributing directly to key government priorities, including tackling loneliness, increasing volunteering, and enhancing community wellbeing. By removing barriers to access, this initiative has not only supported everyday creativity but also ensured these groups play an active role in addressing chronic loneliness and building resilient communities. This model of accessible funding exemplifies an approach that could be rolled out more widely to unlock the potential of smaller organisations in delivering impactful, community-focused outcomes.
Flexibility and adaptability: Policies and partnerships should be tailored to reflect the diversity of civil society organisations, from large charities to small, volunteer-led groups.
Celebration and visibility: Initiatives like the Creative Lives’ Awards help highlight the contributions of local groups, building pride and mutual respect within partnerships.
What actions should civil society organisations take to improve the relationship with public bodies?
We suggest that the main responsibility for improving the relationship between public bodies and civil society organisations lies primarily with those in positions of authority and with access to greater resources of time, funding, and influence. The inherent power imbalance between public bodies and small volunteer-run creative groups means that the latter face distinct challenges in allocating limited time and capacity to address systemic issues.
While civil society organisations can strive to engage constructively and provide feedback where possible, it is incumbent upon public bodies to take the lead in creating accessible, equitable spaces for dialogue and collaboration. This includes simplifying processes, reducing administrative burdens, and actively listening to the needs and experiences of these groups. By prioritising inclusivity and support, public bodies can foster stronger, more balanced relationships with the civil society organisations they aim to serve.
Some areas where civil society can improve would be
Strengthen collaboration: Establish local networks and peer support gro share knowledge and present a unified voice when working with public b Creative Lives’ does this already through our online Creative Networks, established in partnership with The Little Theatre Guild, Heritage Crafts others.
Provide constructive feedback: Organisations should contribute to consultations and actively share insights from their experiences to help public bodies improve policies and processes.
What actions should public bodies take to improve the relationship with civil society organisations?
Learn from what is working well: In Wales, Creative Lives participates in the Third Sector Partnership Council (TSPC). This originates from a national compact between the Welsh Government and the voluntary sector. The Government of Wales Act 2006 requires that "Welsh Ministers make a scheme setting out how they propose, in the exercise of their functions, to promote the interests of relevant voluntary organisations." The Third Sector Scheme sets out how they'll do this, which includes the TSPC. There are 25 networks on the TSPC representing different areas of interest.
Offer micro-grants: Small-scale funding opportunities, like those piloted by Creative Lives in Scotland enable volunteer-led groups to address specific barriers and build capacity and cultural confidence. Modest seed funding for amounts such as £250 has been used to support taxi lifts for isolated refugee and asylum seeking women to attend crafting groups and for performance groups to provide refreshments after a recital.
Simplify regulatory requirements: Create accessible guides and templates to help small organisations navigate legal and compliance obligations without undue burden.
Incorporate co-design principles: Actively involve civil society organisations in shaping policies and programmes that affect their communities. In Scotland we recently submitted evidence to the Scottish Governments ‘Democracy Matters’ review, we encouraged the government to give consideration to the ways that local creative groups could be involved across local decision-making, from giving creative groups a voice in existing local decision-making bodies or by encouraging the establishment of new creative networks/partnerships between local authorities and local creative groups, which have already been successful in places like Inverclyde.
Improve venue access: Work with local authorities to make affordable sp available for community-led creative activities, potentially repurposing un public properties. Through our research we know that access to afforda accessible venues is a critical issue for local creative groups, with 73% o groups reporting increased venue hire costs. To address this, there is an need for local authorities to collaborate with creative groups to make affordable spaces available.
What supports civil society to innovate and find solutions to societal pro
Encourage risk-taking: Provide flexible funding that allows organisations to experiment with new approaches without fear of financial penalties for failure.
Celebrate and share success: Highlight innovative practices through awards, publications, and showcases, such as Creative Lives’ ON Air partnerships with the BBC.
Facilitate partnerships: Foster collaboration between civil society organisations, public bodies, and other sectors (e.g., health, education) to exchange ideas and resources.
Capacity-building initiatives: Provide training and development opportunities for volunteer leaders to enhance their confidence and skills in addressing complex challenges.
Invest in peer learning networks: Support regional and national platforms for civil society organisations to share insights, case studies, and best practices.
Conclusion
Creative Lives believes that by addressing barriers, fostering collaboration, and recognising the unique contributions of grassroots creativity, the Civil Society Covenant can serve as a catalyst for stronger relationships and innovative solutions.
While the principles outlined in the Covenant are a positive step forward, we believe that further detail is needed to clarify how they will translate into practical solutions that can effectively overcome the type of barriers set out in our response and lead to meaningful change. We would welcome clear indications of what resources will be committed to the Covenant’s introduction, implementation and monitoring.
Given our UK wide role we would also like to know more about how the Covenant will impact on areas of devolved responsibility, such as culture, and how you plan on respecting the devolved settlements and their associated public bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland where other arrangements for collaborative working may already be operating.
However, we are as an organisation committed to doing all we can to ensure the local creative groups we champion are better connected and that the regulatory environment in which they operate is improved. That can only be made possible through true, effective partnership working that builds the capacity and resilience of local groups.
Creative Lives is ready to contribute to ensuring that volunteer-led creative groups have the support they need to flourish and we would welcome the opportunity to be involved in the next phase of work in shaping the Covenant.
Creative Lives is a registered charity established in 1991, that champions community and volunteer-led creative activity. We work to improve opportunities for everyone to be creative and, in particular, celebrate and promote people expressing themselves creatively with others, recognising the benefits this brings to both individuals and communities.
Creative Lives Charity Limited is registered in Scotland as Company No. 139147 and Charity No. SC 020345.
Registered office: The Melting Pot, 15 Calton Road, Edinburgh EH8 8DL.
Creative Lives acknowledges funding from Arts Council England, the Arts Council of Ireland and Creative Scotland.
